Islam and India

Islam in India is the theme of my writing here. I am not a scholar in history neither am I a well-read person. What I am going to write is from my understanding of India –a land that is like a crucible for acting on something to forge newness. The Hindus of India called the major portion of Indian subcontinent as 'Brahmabhumi'. Some like to define it as 'god's own home'. Hindus know from the age old tradition that India is their own land as Germany is the land of the Germans or England for the English. Hindus should not blame themselves for their conception. It is true and natural for them like the Germans and the English.

But India is more than to be understood as the land of Hindus. By writing this, I do not like to say about secularism. This has nothing to do with this conception of secularism. Secularism is a technical term related to the means of governance.But I have to discuss a little about it before coming to my original theme. The Congress government has done immense harm to the national fabric by highlighting the sense of this Western conception in the minds of the people of India while defining India as a secular country. They had no right or authority to imposing such an idea for the consumption of its people so that they become very much aware to understand the meaning of unity through an awareness of division. Did the British require using the sense of the term while ruling the post Mughal- India? Akbar ruled India in a much peaceful way than the Congress government without its people bothering the question whose country it was –Hindus' or Muslims'. What made Nehru and the Congress party thinking it so necessary to proclaim that their government was not meant for the Hindus only? They –unable to avoid a partition, was subsequently afraid of the vast mass of India's Muslims demanding further division of the country. They tried to placate its Muslim population by introducing an emphatic idea of-'secularism' in the constitution for governance. Thus, they sowed a sense of animosity in the psyche of the Hindu population. The Hindus experienced much sufferings at the hands of Turks, Pathans and Mughals from the time of fall of Prithvi Raj Chauhan who was born in 1159 AD and was the last Hindu emperor of India. Unlike the complete Islamization of Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Turkey, North Africa, the Islamization of India was never complete. After more than one millennium of Muslim Tyranny from 715 up to 1761, more than 70 percent of the population of India remained Hindu. This was not due to any Muslim charity or benevolence, since the murderous and savage beastlike Muslims have none of these characteristics. The Muslim tyranny in India was as blood- thirsty and insidious as it was in all parts of the world. The British in India was never nearer to the tyranny what Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad of Ghor had inflicted on the Hindu population of India The Hindus could not reconcile this fact of Islamic tyranny with their attitude toward Islam. It was not because that Islam was an alien culture that allowed eating of beef, which is anathema to the Hindus but because of Islam's intolerance to other faith and their haughty and barbaric attitude to the followers of other religious paths. The Hindus were never so critical of the eating of beef by the British, as the Englishmen were never as barbaric as Muslims were. So, the dormant subconscious sense of helpless anger against the Muslim's upper hand behavior surfaced in the Hindu-psychic when they saw that the Muslims, largely, did not take part in freedom struggle against the British rule in India and their subsequent demand for a separate Muslim state by division of India. What was the message they sent to the Hindus? The message was that Muslims would not like to live under the Hindus whom they had ruled for almost five hundred years. In such a situation, the Hindus regarded 'secularism' as a mode of diffidence on the part of Congress government. Eventually the Muslims and Hindus continue to live without trust on one another. I think the situation would have been better had the government ruled under the absence of an emphatic idea of secularism; even it would have been better for India to be declared as a Hindu-state where Muslims and Hindus would enjoy equally all that life and any government could provide.

Now under such a background I would like to think about the future of Islam in India i.e. in 'God's own home'.

From time immemorial India had been invaded and plundered by foreign marauders; some of them left India after plundering wealth and causing immense harm to the people and some settled permanently. India is a big country. Her Civilization is 5000 years (or perhaps more) old. She has given birth to the world's most important religions. She provided refuge to other leading religions. People of many races have come to India and settled here. She absorbed them all into her blood and fraternized with them as her children. Unity and synthesis
are the embodiments of Indian culture. India-An
Ethnological Museum: India has often been described as an ethnological museum from the human point of view. Her history tells us about the Harappan
people who lived in the Indus River areas prior to the coming of the Aryans. The Vedas speak about the Aryans
and their spread in the Indo-Gangetic regions. The Sangam classics bear testimony to a well-developed culture among the Tamils, even during the pre-Christian Era, in the extreme south of India. Apart from these early settlers, the Persians entered India in the North West. The Greeks, the Saks, the Huns, and the Kushans followed them. The Arabs, the Turks, the Mongols
and the Mughals
came to India during the medieval times. These people belonged to many races. The Europeans, such as the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French
and the English, came in the modern period. Excepting the Europeans, all others have been absorbed into the stream of Indian life. It is due to this fact that many consider India as an ethnological museum
of many races. Indian society is a multi-racial
society.

Now an Indian Hindu cannot be defined obviously in an immune collective system of Hinduism. Actually, Hinduism is not a religion in the sense the term is used for other major religions of the world.

Here in India –people, from time immemorial, sought (and still seeking) the spiritual truth of life and world by renouncing all the worldly gains and enjoyments. No other country of the world devoted so passionately for the sake of God and truth. There have been spiritual seekers, saints in every land of this world but it was never been so revered and sought after task in life as it was in India. Millions of sadhus, saints and sannyasins consecrated all their lives for attaining spiritual truths. Thus the land has been charged with spiritual consciousness as a piece of iron is magnetized in the constant contact with a magnet. This is the explanation for thinking of India as 'God's own home'. India is not only merely an ethnological museum of different races and religions but also a living laboratory where the spiritual identity of man is going to be developed. Not only that-India is a land where exist all kinds of basic human problems. There can be no human problem-religious, political, social, financial and individual that does not exist in India. India is a land of problems and difficulties. It is because that they can only be solved perfectly and permanently in Indian spiritual atmosphere. India is a crucible where the spiritual future of humanity is being moulded into perfection.

Islam was born as the Providence thus so willed. Islam has its unique place in the creation of God's world. It came and it will remain, as the creation would be incomplete without it.

However, Islam has to traverse a long, arduous path of hardships before attaining the meaning of the purpose of their coming on this planet.They stand for valour and beauty and not destruction and perverse defamation. They will have to manifest the type of perfection for which God is waiting in them. This is true for all the organized religions of this world. For this to be true and to be attained, India is the just right place for Islam. I have no doubt that the Indian Muslims (and not the Talibans) will change the face of Islam. Islam was born in the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia. But it will fulfill the promise of Allah here in India as India is the required place for all future possibilities.

Most people are unware of

MOST PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE OF:

**The main difference between http:// and https:// is It's all about keeping you secure**

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transport Protocol, which is just a fancy way of saying it's a protocol (a language, in a manner of speaking) for information to be passed back and forth between web servers and clients.

The important thing is the letter S which makes the difference between HTTP and HTTPS.
The S (big surprise) stands for "Secure".

If you visit a website or webpage, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely begin with the following: http://.

This means that the website is talking to your browser using the regular 'unsecured language. In other words, it is possible for someone to "eavesdrop" on your computer's conversation with the website. If you fill out a form on the website, someone might see the information you send to that site.

This is why you never ever enter your credit card number in an http website!

But if the web address begins with https://, that basically means your computer is talking to the website in a secure code that no one can eavesdrop on.

You understand why this is so important, right?

If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you should automatically look to see if the web address begins with https://.

If it doesn't, there's no way you're going to enter sensitive information like a credit card number.

World's Top Twentyfive Trains-Fresh list

On January 16^th , 2008 I posted an article in this blog on WORLD’S TOP TWENTY FIVE TRAINS on the basis of the report of The Society of International Railway Travelers. But who are there in this Society? They are intelligent, experienced travelers from all over the world who love the comfort, romance and fun of traveling on great trains. Owners, staff and editors have evaluated trains all over the world for their magazine, The International Railway Traveler®, giving us a unique perspective and objectivity. Owen and Eleanor Hardy, of Louisville, KY, USA, are the sole owners of Hardy Publishing Co., Inc., and The Society of International Railway Travelers, Inc. International rail-travel specialists celebrated their company’s 25 th Annivesary in 2008.

But there have been some changes in the list and other stuffs related to the world’s top twentyfive trains since I posted my article on this. Eleanor Hardy,President, Society of International Railway Travelers has informed me - “I just wanted to let you know, sadly, that one of the trains on our list has gone out of business as of a few months ago. GrandLuxe Express is now selling their rolling stock and equipment. Bon voyage to a great train”. He also has remarked –“I wanted to pop a note to all of you folks out in Sydney moaning about your suburban rail service. Perhaps it is true that it's not as fast, or as on-time as some others, but Sydney itself is a transit lovers' dream, and everything, from rail to ferries to buses, works together to get you where you want to go. Come to the US sometime to see what a dismal situation we have in many major cities -- just no really good ways to get around except by car. (Some cities of course have fantastic systems but they are the rarity.) Our Society of International Railway Travelers members have absolutely loved visiting Sydney and have enjoyed your long-distance train Indian Pacific and Ghan -- how cool is that to have TWO cross-continental trains?”

So I feel to make a fresh list of the World’s Top Twentyfive Trains from six continents. I think that for people who can afford –travelling in these trains is most enjoying affair of modern world. It’s more attractive than staying in the most luxururious hotel of the world as you can have the equal amenities and comforts in travelling in these trains as you have the added opportunity of passing through nature-the forests, seaside, cities, deserts and everything you love to imagine! It’s like living in your imagination! Here are the fresh list as published by The Society of International Railway Travelers.

Africa

1.Pride of Africa (Luxury)

Europe

2.Venice Simplon-Orient Express (Luxury)

3.Royal Scotsman (Luxery)

North America

4.Royal Canadian Pacific (Luxury)

Europe

5.Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (First Class)

6.Danube Express (First Class)

Asia

7.Deccan Odyssey (First Class)

8.Shangri-La Express (First Class)

9.Eastern & Oriental Express

Europe

10.Glacier Express (First Class)

11.Bergen Railway (First Class)

12.Flam Railway (First Class)

13.Bernina Express (First Class)

South America

14.Hiram Bingham (Luxury)

15.Andean Explorer (First Class)

Europe

16.El Transcantabrico (Luxury)

Africa

17.Blue Train (Luxury)

Europe

18.British Pullman (Luxury)

North America

19.Rocky Mountaineer (First Class)

20.Canadian (First Class)

Asia

21.Palace on Wheels (First Class)

22.Darjeeling Himalayan Toy Train (Steam/Railfan)

Australia

23.Sunlander (First Class)

24.Indian Pacific (First Class)

25.Ghan (First Class)

An Appeal to Indian Muslims

It is very unfortunate that even after more than sixty years of partition of India which led to the birth of Pakistan in 1947-Indian political leaders and the intelligentsia in general have failed to grasp the root of all the unfortunate events of communal strife and terrorism (basically Islamic).

India will never be able to solve these two problems so long the state of Pakistan will exist with its existential root in religion. If there is any single community in the world that has the least knowledge of its religion and its philosophy –then it can be mentioned without the least qualm- that it is Pakistan. There are several Islamic states and groups in the world but none of them is so un-Islamic as Pakistan and now Bangladesh. It can not be expected that all the states of the world like India –will effectively pursue the noble idea of states of not interfering in the affairs of the religions of their subjects and thereby remaining perfectly neutral to all religious sects and groups of the people living in these countries. The word secularism is relatively modern in its use relating to governance of states. But when Asoka or Harshvardhana became Buddhists they did not discriminate against the majority Hindus. Religious tolerance is deep in Indian psyche; it’s basically for the Hindus that it was possible for the birth the Upanishads, the Vedas and the Gita. The catholicity of the wisdom as evident from these great books must be considered for analysing the nature and character of the Hindus –if one wants to understand a nation in a scientific way. It is for this rooted wisdom the Indian leaders accepted secularism as a policy of the government and ingrained it in the constitution of free India after the partition. And it was for this same wisdom and catholic attitude that Indian political leaders never accepted the two-nation theory of Jinnah. Indian people never accepted partition. It is not for the love for Hinduism but for India –the land-whom they consider as their mother. Muslims have failed to understand this spirit of the majority Hindus who regard their land as dear and as loving as their mother-a mother who is the source of all sustenance of the life of a child. The most sacred and deep relation is missed when the narrow and sectarian way is chosen for a refusal of a noble and tender feeling.
Muslims of various shades and sects invaded India time and again to plunder away with her wealth and destroy the Hindu temples –and finally they settled in India by conquering the country. Hindus –perhaps destroyed only one- the Babri Mosque in the historical time. But the vehement protests came from the majority Hindus who did not approve of that destructive impulse. But there is no recorded instance in history of a single protest by any Muslim for destroying thousands of Hindu temples by the Muslims in one thousand years. There is no recorded instance of the Hindus invading a foreign country in history. Hindus are basically peace-loving people because of the influence of their spiritual thoughts from time immemorial.
In time of Sepoy-mutiny against the British –the Hindus were at the helm of that revolt and not any Muslim of any consequence. The Hindu militants wanted to oust the British and replace them not with any renowned Hindu but with the Second Bahadur Shah-a descendant of the Moughal emperors. They considered the last Moughal as their own person and not the British. It was because of living under Muslim rule for almost five hundred years. So it was natural for the Hindus to want to remain in an undivided India.





Unfortunately, the Muslims in this sub-continent had an uncomfortable complex to live under Hindu rulers whom they had been accustomed to rule for five hundred years. So it was desirable to them even to be ruled by the British than by the Hindus. Throughout the period of freedom –movement against the British –Muslims –in general remained aloof and did not take any significant part in that struggle. They had no significant political grievance against the British and they never felt it in their passion to see them free from the foreign rule. It was much later the league and some rootless leaders appeared to fish in the troubled water for personal and individual gains. Some argue that the majority of the Muslims in the then undivided India were too uneducated and socially backward to be aware of the value of independence. But why were the Muslims were so backward? They had had the advantage of being patronised by their own Muslim rulers for about five hundred years before the British came to replace them. So for what reasons the Hindus became more associated with the British administration than the Muslims? In all fields of life the Hindus were an overwhelming majority in the British period. The Hindus were treated at par with the Muslims by the British and they did not discriminate Muslims against the Hindus. If we go on tracing the root of this backwardness –we will find it in the dominant mullahs who were the guardians of Muslim society. These mullahs were unenlightened medievalists and fundamentalists. Muslims were –in the name of religion-kept outside the ever changing and progressing world. The evolution of mind as reflected in new thoughts and ideas was anathema to the Muslim world of this sub-continent. The society turned into ghettos thanks to the alienation of the Muslims from the large open world. In this background the Hindus and for that matter any progressiveness was seen as anti-Islam. This anti-Islamic conception was imposed against Hindus emphatically in Muslim psychology. The more the Hindus progressed and developed the more the Muslims became anti-Hindu. This social and economical differences gave a fillip to anti-Hindu feeling as was seen in the case of Jews in many other countries. But here in India the chemistry was more complicated with the elements of religions and the sense of inferiority.
Here the concept of Islam is mixed with anti-Hinduism. This is a very complicated situation. One may argue that why then Osama bin Laden and his terrorist outfits have grown against the US when it has no way been related to the Hindus? Yes –this is a very pertinent point while discussing the issue of Islamic terrorism and the situation in India is also related to a common psychological problem.
Muslims all over the world are victims of a peculiar psychology. They are very sensitive of their religion. They could not think of other identity –however great that may be than the identity in religion. The Christians missed the true spiritual import of Christ and took only the element that ensued from the original consciousness-the element of charity and kindness to the fellow neighbours. So is the reality with the true and proper Islam but in the inferior way. The instinct of organisational cohesion got the better of love, chivalry and universal brotherhood of Islam. So for this instinct to get into the organisation than to remain in the wider air of the world –the Muslims –in general become unusually sensitive of their physical existence as Muslims.
This psychology also plays a in a subtle way in their approach to the Hindus and their affairs apart from what have been told above.
It’s not a question which country the terrorists belong to. There are so many anti-Indian Muslim terrorists in India-and some of them are citizens of India. But the home of all the terrorists is Pakistan –in the full knowledge of Pakistani rulers and the pamparing ISI whose existence is for causing harms to India with the terrorists. They are not state-less but with a home in Pakistan. All these terrorists are trained in Pakistan and Bangladesh and they are moved to action by the instigation and plan of the ISI and Pakistani army. The loss of property and life by the Muslim terrorists are definitely shocking and each terrorist strike caused immense damage to this country. But the most alarming damage –Pakistan has been inflicting on India is communal disharmony among the people of India. Pakistan can not survive without India bashing. Anti-Hinduism and Islam are now tantamount to them. They will be more inimical in future for India’s every step towards material prosperity. For all this the most responsible groups are the group of the mullahs who are the walls against the Light that enlightens.
In such circumstance India can only be safe in dismantling of the state apparatus of Pakistan. Pakistan is now the Mecca of all the terrorists of the world. But in the law of the greater truth Pakistan in its present form will definitely be destroyed in the process.
Or the only way she can survive is to be led by a person of the magnitude of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.






But before that I would appeal to all Indian Muslims for raising their voice publicly against the terrorists and more emphatically against Pakistan and it is especially on the Indian Muslims now more than the majority Hindus to convince the other religious people of India and the world at large that it is not the Muslims but the state of Pakistan is responsible for all terrorist activities. The purpose of this appeal is for communal harmony and for the welfare of India in general.

Hindus have no right in India as Hindus: The legacy of Nehru

There are some truths which are universal whenever we discuss matters relating to man in his individual as well as collective nature. One such truth is that we have to pay dearly if we are indecisive and hesitant due to our shaky and fearful psychology to make steps to settle problems permanently. The Congress Party has all along been seen unduly compromising in matters of conflicts between Muslims and Hindus. Their so called secularism is rooted in a confusion and weakness. The Indian Muslims know it well. If one has a complaint against BJP for spreading communalism in the country –I think it was the Congress who has been helping BJP a ground for getting sustenance from the wrong and shaky approach of the Congress towards the Muslims of India. The lack of strength and vision of the Congress have harmed the Hindus and the majority of national Muslims also. If the fabric of communal harmony is destroyed beyond repair –the Congress will be held responsible for this. Ms Sonia Gandhi and her children along with their sycophants will not be affected from the communal disharmony as they being in the ruling class for a long time are neither Hindus nor Muslims. They are a class by themselves without belonging to any community.

BJP, in its present strength, has evolved as reaction of the wrong approach of the Congress toward Hindu-Muslim matters. It is not required to be a supporter of BJP to be in unison with them that the Congress has been a practitioner of pseudo-secularism. It’s now open to all to see that the Congress is yet to gather courage to hang Mohammad Afzal who was behind the killing in Parliament House. Even the merci-petition by his family was not placed before Abdul Kalam for consideration. It was only placed after Kalam’s term was over and a new president took over. The heinous killer is a Kasmiri terrorist. What message does this fact send to the people of India-Hindus and Muslims alike? The Congress is afraid of Kashmiris and Pakistan. If Congress fails to be unduly soft to the wickedness of some Muslims (read pro-Pakistanis and Islamic terrorists) the situation will bound to be out of control in near future to the detriment of the whole nation and to the jubilation of ISI of Pakistan.

I’m quoting some lines published under the first-page headline news of a National English daily which is supposed to be a subtle supporter of the Congress so far the BJP is concerned. While reporting the recent troubles in Jammu –the newspaper has reported the Jammu crisis in the following lines:

[…History is often a cause and effect lesson. The immediate cause of what’s unfolding today probably goes back to 1990 and the exodus of Pandits from the valley under the sweep of the ‘azadi’ movement. The accumulated causes go even further back the decades. Amarnath is probably merely the latest flash point.

Jammu, were you to get a sense of reigning sentiment in this shuttered, khaki and concertina-ridden city, is feeling sackfuls of its old and perceived grudges to these fires.” ‘We’ve put up with this for 60 years, 60 long years’, says Rati Razdan, a politically unaffiliated schoolteacher who has been at the barricades in Gandhingar each morning, ‘all in the name of national unity. Those who blackmail the nation with threats of separation have been pampered; those who have been loyal have been ignored. What am I to do to be heard, pick up a green flag and shout anti-India slogans? Why can we not have land in Kashmir, why must Kashmiris have their way all the time in his country?’

Why does the Valley have more seats in the state Assembly even though Jammu is greater both in population and land area? Why must they have three MPs and we only two? Why must they have all chief ministers and we none? Why do they get 80 per cent of government jobs? Why must they have 60 per cent of power? Why must they have reservation in colleges and technical institutions even though our boys and girls do better? Why is it that we can be thrown out of our homes in the Valley and nothing happens? Why is there such a crisis if we want to set up facilities in the Valley for two months each year? Why do their leaders get to build private mansions in the forests of Jammu’s vaunted Bhatindi outskirts whereas we can’t even be granted land in the name of shrine? Why are they part of an all-party delegation? They are the creators of this problem, why should they now become judges? And why should we go to them?

Why? Why? Why? Us and Them. Us and Them. Jammu is an angry trigger-burst of questions wherever you go………..-The Telegrah, Calcutta, August 10, 2008]

The Hindus of this land of India may obviously feel hapless even after almost 700 hundred plus years of foreign rules (Mughal & British + Congress).

All this is a legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru. The tragedy of India is that he was her first Prime Minister.